The Emperor's Education: Cultivating a Wise Ruler

This is a record of an interview with a spirit who once reigned as a monarch in a past life and served as the father to the soul currently known as Steve Jobs. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, having sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on September 6, 2017.

Venerable Changren speaks:

"To possess a heart of compassion and to teach by example—this is the only way to truly save beings. The greatest benefit and the most magnificent aspect of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is that there are opportunities to learn everywhere. Whether it is the manifestation of any Bodhisattva or the teachings voiced by Practitioner Su, I believe that if everyone listens calmly, carefully, and with a focused heart, every bit of learning gained is a step toward realising one's true nature. Since this is such a marvellous and supreme Dharma, is it not a great pity if, even when one is willing to listen, one is not willing to put it into practice?"

The Rebellion of the Heart

"I understand the sense of rebellion in people's hearts: 'You don't necessarily have to listen to what I say.' If you make biased choices about what you will and will not listen to, you will never progress. You do not even need to practise. Practice is purely for the purpose of correcting one's own habits; that is why it is called 'practice.' If you are always right, why have you not yet become a Buddha? If you cannot tolerate the interactions and mutual encouragement among the community, you are not suited for group cultivation. You are creating karma; before you have achieved any success, you are already burdened with a mountain of debt. It is not worth the loss. Why go through such trouble?"

"Every word of Dharma spoken by Practitioner Su, I have taken into my heart. Today, I say that an eminent monk must have 'no-mind.' If one has a 'mind' of discrimination, one will not become a Buddha. I understand that this is not in sync with the Buddha. Indeed, the Buddha possesses a heart of immeasurable and boundless tolerance. I, Changren, will learn this. Compassion is tolerance. Toward all Dharma-marks, one should be compassionate. Whether they are good or bad, they have nothing to do with oneself. Once a thought arises, one is no longer calm. Now, I should also discard the scale in my heart and stop weighing the worth of others' hearts. I should be 'no-mind' so that I can accept more beings. This is non-discrimination, and it is something I can learn."

A Past Life of Peace

"Even so, I will speak truthfully about what Practitioner Su wishes me to share. Since today's topic revolves around compassion and mind-capacity, have you all learned this in your study of the Buddha's teachings? If you have not, then you are no different from our group. Besides the Demon Realm, there is another place called the Asura Realm; both are places where good and evil are strictly divided. We all need to change. Now, I will share with you what I know."

"In a simpler past, it was a world of pure goodness—at least, it was far better than it is today. Society was stable, and the civilians lived in peace and contentment. I was once a monarch; that was many lifetimes ago. At that time, I was quite reasonable, and my temperament was largely similar to what it is now. Civilians from neighbouring countries moved to my nation one after another. I loved my people as if they were my own children, and the streets were filled with serenity. In the imperial palace, although it was impossible to be entirely free of conflict, we tried our best to maintain peace. Princes and princesses were born one by one. At that time, Steve Jobs was one of my princes. I treated my children fairly, though on the surface, it might have appeared unequal. That was how Steve Jobs thought at the time. I had high expectations for him because he possessed courage and wisdom, but he lacked compassion. He was a bit impatient, could not settle down, and was too quick to judge good and evil—his personality was very similar to this lifetime."

The Rigorous Training of a Prince

"Among all the princes, only Steve Jobs had the most abundant courage. To cultivate this child into a true, wise ruler, I took him to a side palace from a young age and assigned my most trusted minister to teach and train him in isolation. Before he turned twenty, I did not allow him to leave that side palace. However, the child had a restless nature and would often use his cleverness to try to escape. As his father, how could I not know his thoughts? Every time I caught him, I would punish him severely, or sometimes I would say nothing at all. I would not use the same punishment every time. Sometimes, I would send his mother in to care for him for a few days. Therefore, I understand that he both loved and hated me, but it did not matter to me. I only wanted him to become a wise ruler."

"Finally, the twenty-year training period was completed. The child came out of the side palace, but I did not let him ascend the throne as the Crown Prince. Instead, I first appointed his older brother as the Crown Prince. His brother's temperament was not as meticulous as Steve Jobs', but his brother was prone to feeling resentful. There were many ministers who supported the older brother, which was the strategy of the Crown Prince's mother, the Empress. Steve Jobs was born to a beautiful and kind consort, so he was not favoured from the start. But they were all my children; how could I have any discrimination? I loved and cherished them all, but facing their different needs, I cultivated them individually. I would not satisfy the desires in their hearts. Before the great cause of the nation, personal desires must be set aside. Steve Jobs had too much desire for freedom. Because I kept him bound for twenty years and he could not be as free as the other princes, he always thought I had deprived him of his childhood. But I knew clearly that, apart from this dissatisfaction, the child was not polluted; on the contrary, he was quite clear-minded. His mother was a reasonable woman who understood my intentions. Among the three thousand beauties in the harem, I loved only her wisdom. It is truly pathetic for a monarch to be surrounded by so many women and yet rarely see one who knows how to give sincerely. Most are tempted by power and status, blinded by greed. Once they give birth to a prince, they desperately consolidate his position in the court. Some princes were not even my own flesh and blood—how could I not know? But I did not harm them because of this. Since there was a karmic affinity, I could still care for them well."

The Lesson of Responsibility

"No matter how busy I was with state affairs, I never neglected my dedication to my children. My dynasty maintained a peaceful and prosperous age for a long time. I let the Crown Prince follow me to court every day to watch me handle state affairs. Sometimes, I would set questions to test his mind-capacity. At other times, I would observe the situation and use the answers the Crown Prince provided to let him learn from them. I wanted him to understand how much responsibility is involved in decision-making, and how important mind-capacity, compassion, and wisdom are, as they relate to the safety and welfare of all the civilians. I let the Crown Prince have moments where he did things right, and moments where he did things wrong, but I never blamed him; I only taught him. I even went on undercover inspections, taking the Crown Prince to see the consequences of our policies personally. Of course, these decisions were not policies with major impacts, and I always issued prior imperial decrees to local officials so they could prepare strategies. Everyone cooperated with my efforts to train the child's heart."

"During this time, Steve Jobs was entrusted to the minister—the teacher who had followed him for twenty years. I let the minister guide the child to see his own mission and tasks, and let him take the child on a three-year journey. He did not need to return to the palace during these three years, and supplies of grain were arranged for him everywhere. During these three years, I personally looked after the Crown Prince. Naturally, as the Crown Prince grew, he saw his own inadequacies and realised that he was indeed not suited for the throne. I ordered the minister to teach Steve Jobs how to handle policies in every place they visited—such as repairing embankments in time, providing relief for grain shortages, lowering taxes, or eliminating corrupt officials. I gave the minister full authority for all immediate policies, but he had to report to the Emperor immediately. The purpose was not a lack of trust, but to let the Crown Prince, who was co-managing the court, see these scenes of the people's lives and the proper policies. I knew that at first, the Crown Prince felt a little jealous and discouraged, but because he had my constant guidance, he soon corrected these thoughts. His heart gradually became calm, and he became convinced. After three years, when Steve Jobs and the minister returned to the palace, the Crown Prince wrote a document resigning from his position. He told me that he was willing to assist Steve Jobs as the monarch for the rest of his life. I was very happy with the Crown Prince's growth and magnanimity in knowing how to yield the position. I told him then that this was not because his qualifications were poor, but because everyone is born with tasks they should perform and corresponding roles. Over those three years, the Crown Prince had completely understood my intentions."

A Wise Ruler Ascends

"Steve Jobs did not disappoint me either. I was waiting for him to come to me voluntarily. I knew he had returned and had already met with the minister, but I did not summon him. He had been back for seven days when he finally came to the palace at night. I let all the eunuchs allow him to enter directly without reporting. The child probably knew I was looking for him. His growth over the three years had made his mind much more mature, and he possessed courage and boldness. I was actually very happy, but I did not say much. After the child knelt to me, he told me, 'Father, I would like to seek an official position. Through my experiences over the past three years, I have seen the suffering of the human world. I hope that my wealth and glory can be shared with everyone, so that at least there can be a little less suffering.' Hearing these words, I was very happy, but I remained calm. I asked him what rank of official position he wanted, so I could arrange it. At that time, the news of the Crown Prince's resignation had not been made public, and even the Empress did not know. Steve Jobs said slowly, 'The position of being under one person but above ten thousand. I can fully assist the Crown Prince, but I need the greatest power to help the people.' Seeing the child's sincere words, I laughed happily. The game of over twenty years had finally been completed. I told Steve Jobs, 'The Crown Prince has already resigned and will fully assist you from now on. Your ambition is already grand, and you are capable of bearing the heavy responsibility. The throne is now passed to you. Choose a day to ascend the throne. While your father is still alive, I can watch you handle state affairs and make adjustments where necessary. My only request is that you must be a wise ruler.' The child accepted it gladly, and in less than three days, he ascended the throne. I retired and let the old father assist and guide the child. Before I closed my eyes, I saw that he was doing a great job, and I was very comforted. This is my past life with Steve Jobs; it was a good karmic affinity. I only want to express that compassion and mind-capacity can be cultivated. When these elements are missing, one easily falls into evil thoughts, and one wrong step leads to a series of wrong steps."

Building the True Teachings

"Governing a nation, the heart of protecting the people, the heart of compassion for suffering beings, and saving the world through practice are actually the same. The aspects are different, but the heart is the same. Truly, the greater the mind-capacity, the more one can receive immeasurable and boundless spirits. A selfless heart can truly help the needs of beings. As a ruler, one must act truthfully; as one who is in the right position, one must act without stinginess; as a teacher, one must teach truthfully; and as a student, one must learn truthfully. If the inheritance of the Buddha's teachings is always built on such a solid foundation, would there be any fear that the Buddha's teachings would not flourish? Although it is currently skewed, it takes time to rebuild, but it is necessary to do so. No matter how long it takes, it must be rebuilt step by step. The so-called 'manifestation in the present world' is just like the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which is about to build a bodhimanda of the True Teachings. To manifest the True Teachings in the world, this great temple must be built, and it cannot be sloppy in the slightest. It must completely express the mind-capacity of the True Teachings, the uprightness of the True Teachings, the compassion of the True Teachings, and the magnificence of the True Teachings. The support and conditions required are not easy to gather, just as it is not easy to change one's character. Everyone must have the confidence to dismantle the original false appearances. In fact, every true interview with famous schools and sects has this intention. Regarding all the failures in the doctrines of the Buddha's teachings, please let eminent monks explain it personally. As everyone gradually sees the truth of the True Teachings, and the period of saving the world and building the True Teachings begins—taking my past life as an example—I also worked hard, cultivating a future wise ruler for over twenty years. I saw all the good and bad reactions, but I did not soften my stance toward the prince. Only by maintaining a consistent attitude from beginning to end is it possible to approach success, just like the peaceful and prosperous age that continued after I passed on the throne. I believe Practitioner Su understands what I mean."

"Everyone's current efforts in spreading the Dharma should maintain the original intention and be full of confidence. One should not be disturbed or shaken by any external conditions. Every time one is shaken, one is loosening one's own foundation. Then when can the house be built? For those who will be teachers or instructors in the future, the meaning is the same: one must lead with the heart and see all the good, not being shaken by bad appearances. In this way, I believe the True Teachings will soon be able to spread throughout the entire void and stand firm. Namo Amituofo."